A plumber set fire to a North Wales farmer’s new biomass heating system in a bid to cover up the fact that he’d bodged the job.

Robert Euros Jones had promised farmer Richard Lewis Owen that he would get thousands of pounds in rebates from the government after installing the system at his Dolgellau farm.

But Jones, 25, had failed to register the system, meaning Mr Owen was going to miss out on the payments.

In order to cover his tracks, Jones broke into the farm and stole keys for the building with the heating system in it. He then went back with a blow torch and an accelerant and set fire to the building.

Mold crown court heard if he’d been successful, the fire would have been catastrophic because of the large mass of wood pellets in the boiler.

Today, he admitted arson at Penmaenucha Farm, as well as fraud and false representation and was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

It emerged that he had also wanted to cover up the fact that he’d removed serial numbers from the boiler and another one he’d installed, having used the same documentation for both of them.

Judge Niclas Parry said it was serious offending which involved a breach of trust placed in him by a decent hard-working farming family who wanted to support his local business.

He became a family friend and they trustingly handed over large sums of money to him.

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“You failed in your duty of care to them and slowly but surely made serious attempts to cover up your failings and committed more and more serious offences.

“You knew in your heart that you had misled the family holding yourself out to be an expert and able to say what the annual financial benefits would be, which were significantly short of the true mark.

Prosecuting barrister Frances Wilmott said that the defendant had promised farmer Richard Lewis Owen RHI (Renewable heat incentive payments) of £18,500 a year for 20 years under the £78,000 scheme but the true figure would not have been anywhere near that.

By the time he registered the scheme the payments had halved in any event and a period of some 16 months had passed.

How Edwards, defending, said that Jones, of Llyn Tegid near Bala , was a good plumber who was well thought of in the local community.

But his step into biomass installations was a step too far.

He did not have the relevant experience, had only installed two and would not do any more.

At the time he had been trying to run the family farm and had taken on the large contracts.

He made a mess of it and was attempting to cover his tracks and poor workmanship.

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They lived in a small community and he said that he had noticed a difference in the attitude of some people towards him because Jones had been portraying himself as the victim.

The losses had been considerable and the experience had made it difficult for him to trust people, especially trades people.

“This was a complete betrayal of my trust. I wanted to support him as a local businessman. He promised the world. I wish I had never bothered with the whole thing now. I regret the day I ever met Robert Euros Jones,” said Mr Owen.

Mr David Jones, of Bala, the second victim, told how the defendant set himself up as an expert in renewable energy but had “strung him along”

He had taken him at his word but he had to spend a considerable time to get people to complete the job, make the boiler safe and to get the RHI grant system back on track.

Mr Jones said that he had been particularly concerned for the safety implications for himself and his family.